1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to manually and/or treadle operated spinning wheels. More specifically, the invention relates to a flyer and spindle brake assembly for hand spinning wheels.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hand spinning wheels, i.e., yarn, thread, or other fiber spinning or twisting machines utilizing manual power for their operation, have a lengthy history. Historically, such wheels were used to produce the vast majority of spun fiber material (yarn, thread, and other fiber for cloth, etc.) until the development of large, powered industrial spinning machines. However, such manually powered spinning machines or spinning wheels are still popular today in many parts of the world where electricity or other power is generally not available, or where the use of such power is not desired for some reason. Also, manually powered spinning wheels are popular with a large number of hobbyists who enjoy using such older technology and working with their hands.
Generally speaking, manually operated spinning wheels are compound machines, in that they perform two functions. First, the machine twists the filaments together as they are fed into the machine to produce a twisted yarn, thread, string, cord, or the like. Secondly, as a length of twisted material is produced, the machine is used to take up the twisted yarn onto a spool or bobbin for storage. These two functions are accomplished by a relatively rapidly rotating “flyer” or bail, which at least generally surrounds the spool or bobbin. The flyer is rotated by a drive band extending from the large flywheel (probably the most readily recognizable feature of the classic spinning wheel) and around a smaller “whorl” or flyer drive pulley.
It will be understood that the takeup spool or bobbin is configured to rotate independently of the flyer, which rotates continuously so long as the large flywheel is being rotated (e.g., by a treadle mechanism, or by hand, etc.). When the yarn or cord is being twisted, it is not being taken up on the bobbin. During this portion of the operation, the flyer and bobbin rotate in unison with one another. Thus, even though the yarn or thread is being spun around the bobbin by the rotation of the flyer, it cannot be taken up on the bobbin, as the bobbin is rotating at the same rate. This operation results in a twist being produced in the filaments or fibers, thus producing a twisted yarn, cord, or the like.
When sufficient twist has been imparted to the filaments, they may be stored by winding them onto the bobbin or spool. This is accomplished by changing the rotary speed of the bobbin relative to the constantly rotating flyer, generally by braking the bobbin so that it is rotating more slowly than the flyer. This difference in rotational velocities between the two components, results in the flyer winding the twisted yarn onto the bobbin or spool for storage. When the twisted portion of the yarn has been wound onto the bobbin, the rotation of the bobbin is again matched with the rotation of the flyer, thereby resulting in the twisting of the filaments with no takeup onto the bobbin. The operation is repeated as desired to produce a relatively long length of twisted yarn, thread, cord, or the like.
Conventionally, most spinning wheels utilize an open-ended flyer, i.e., the two arms of the flyer are not connected to one another at their distal ends. This facilitates the removal and installation of the bobbin or spool onto the spindle, but a separate retaining component (e.g., threaded fastener, lateral pin, etc.) is still required to secure the bobbin on the spindle. Moreover, such an open-ended flyer structure is relatively weak in comparison to a closed flyer, which completely surrounds the bobbin. The reason that closed flyers have not proven popular is that up to the development of the present invention, such a mechanism has required additional fastening components, which must be removed in order to remove or replace the bobbin. This requires a fair amount of time for each bobbin removal and replacement, as well as increasing the cost of the mechanism and the chance of losing various small parts.
An example of such an open-ended flyer is found in German Patent No. 3,529,076, published on Sep. 10, 1987, describing an electrically powered tabletop fiber spinning appliance. It appears particularly from FIG. 2 that the drive pulley and belt from the motor must be removed in order to remove or replace the spool or bobbin on the spindle. The device of the '076 German Patent includes two opposed end plates, which support the spindle at each end thereof.
Insofar as the spindle or bobbin brake mechanism is concerned, it is generally desirable to adjust the spindle, or the bobbin rotating on a stationary spindle, with a slight amount of drag or braking force. The tension applied to the yarn by the person spinning is sufficient to prevent takeup of the yarn onto the bobbin, thus resulting in a purely twisting force being applied to the yarn filaments. Relaxation of the tension on the spun yarn or thread allows the brake to slow or stop the bobbin or spindle rotation relative to the flyer, thereby allowing the yarn or thread to be wound upon the bobbin by the flyer for storage of the twisted yarn.
However, in the past it has proven difficult to provide a bobbin or spindle brake that may be easily and precisely adjusted to produce exactly the desired braking force. While a relatively large amount of effort has gone into the development of spindle and/or bobbin brakes for large, automated industrial spinning and winding machines and looms, comparatively little development has occurred in spindle or bobbin brake systems in manually or treadle operated spinning wheels. Conventional bobbin or spindle brakes tend to be relatively primitive devices, and generally fail to provide the required degree of fine adjustment for accurate work.
Thus, a flyer and spindle brake assembly for hand spinning wheels solving the aforementioned problems is desired.